I’m going to do something a little different this week. I wanted to do a fun little experiment to show how tricky it can be to rank 100 hitters every week. It can be tough to decide which statistic is more valuable in standard 5×5 leagues while also taking into account: age, injury history, lineup, previous performance, home stadium, position eligibility, splits, etc.
Player A: 54 runs/19 HRs/61 RBI/5 SB/.272 AVG
Player B: 65 runs/19 HRs/65 RBI/7 SB/.245 AVG
Player C: 56 runs/19 HRs/58 RBI/2 SB/.303 AVG
I ranked them: C, A, B and even to this second I’m second-guessing myself. Sure, B has more runs, RBI and stolen bases, but that .245 AVG can really hurt a team. However, C has the least RBI and stolen bases, but a nice .303 AVG which has him tied for 16th among eligible hitters. Stat heads among you may have already figured it out by these hitters are (A) Odubel Herrera, (B) Gregory Polanco and (C) David Peralta. Based on name value you might change your rankings. We’ve been hoping Polanco would go 30/30 for years now — and his ADP reflects that. Polanco’s ADP is 134 compared to 230 for Peralta. However Peralta’s .303 average makes him more valuable in my opinion.
Player A: 56 runs/23 HRs/68 RBI/2 SB/.252 AVG
Player B: 52 runs/16 HRs/58 RBI/0 SB/.289 AVG
Player C: 50 runs/20 HR/68 RBI/3 SB/.253 AVG
I ranked them: A, C, B. Like Polanco in example 1, Player B’s average is keeping him in the conversation since all his other numbers are lower than A and C. Ranking this trio might seem a bit more obvious. Well, what if I told you these guys are (A) Travis Shaw, (B) Anthony Rendon and (C) Mike Moustakas? I second-guess myself ranking Rendon below Shaw and Moustakas because Rendon was an MVP candidate last season and we know he’s capable of. Shaw is statistically superior right now, but what about to close out your fantasy season? And how do we account for Shaw losing some ABs to Moustakas, but gaining second base eligibility in a few days?
Player A: 63 runs/17 HRs/64 RBI/1 SB/.217 AVG
Player B: 62 runs/31 HRs/71 RBI/3 SB/.199 AVG
Player C: 60 runs/22 HRs/54 RBI/2 SB/.235 AVG
I ranked them: B, C, A. Alright, I can get this one out of the way: .199 AVG and 31 HRs? Only one player is capable of such a feat and that’s Joey Gallo. The other two: A is Carlos Santana and C is Matt Olson. All Santana owners are hoping for him to bring his average a bit closer to the .259 he put up in 2016 and 2017, but we’ve only got about 40 games left in the season — when should we abandon all hope? Olson (along with Rhys Hoskins) was a sophomore player we all were banking on for a breakout season in Oakland and his 117 ADP speaks to that. So I put Gallo at the top knowing full well that his .199 is nauseating, but his 71 RBI actually have him tied with Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman and he’s one of only seven players with over 30 HRs so far this season. So who would you rank higher? The old, reliable Carlos Santana? The upside of the 24 year old Matt Olson? Or the boom stick of Joey Gallo?
These are the questions I get to ask myself every week — and I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me — these rankings are really fun to do! I’m just genuinely curious for the Razzball family’s feedback.
Top 100 Hitters
GREEN: Rising | BLUE: New Additions | RED: Falling
| RANK | NAME | TEAM | POSITION | LAST WEEK | CHANGE |
| 1 | Mookie Betts | BOS | OF | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Jose Ramirez | CLE | 2B/3B | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor | CLE | SS | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | J.D. Martinez | BOS | OF | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | Mike Trout | LAA | OF | 1 | -4 |
| 6 | Andrew Benintendi | BOS | OF | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Manny Machado | LAD | 3B | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Javier Baez | CHC | SS/2B | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Nolan Arenado | COL | 3B | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Paul Goldschmidt | ARI | 1B | 11 | 1 |
| 11 | Trea Turner | WAS | SS | 12 | 1 |
| 12 | Alex Bregman | HOU | SS/3B | 13 | 1 |
| 13 | Matt Carpenter | STL | 1B/2B/3B | 39 | 26 |
| 14 | Freddie Freeman | ATL | 1B | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Giancarlo Stanton | NYY | OF | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Eugenio Suarez | CIN | 3B | 16 | 0 |
| 17 | Trevor Story | COL | SS | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | Bryce Harper | WAS | OF | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Khris Davis | OAK | OF | 24 | 5 |
| 20 | Christian Yelich | MIL | OF | 25 | 5 |
| 21 | Starling Marte | PIT | OF | 21 | 0 |
| 22 | Charlie Blackmon | COL | OF | 10 | -12 |
| 23 | Justin Upton | LAA | OF | 32 | 9 |
| 24 | Shin-Soo Choo | TEX | OF | 26 | 2 |
| 25 | Juan Soto | WAS | OF | 38 | 13 |
| 26 | Eddie Rosario | MIN | OF | 20 | -6 |
| 27 | Jesus Aguilar | MIL | 1B | 27 | 0 |
| 28 | Scooter Gennett | CIN | 2B | 28 | 0 |
| 29 | Jose Altuve | HOU | 2B | 19 | -10 |
| 30 | George Springer | HOU | OF | 29 | -1 |
| 31 | Max Muncy | LAD | 1B/2B/3B | 30 | -1 |
| 32 | Nelson Cruz | SEA | DH | 31 | -1 |
| 33 | Ozzie Albies | ATL | 2B | 23 | -10 |
| 34 | Jean Segura | SEA | SS | 34 | 0 |
| 35 | Edwin Encarnacion | CLE | 1B | 35 | 0 |
| 36 | Lorenzo Cain | MIL | OF | 37 | 1 |
| 37 | Aaron Judge | NYY | OF | 22 | -15 |
| 38 | Nick Markakis | ATL | OF | 47 | 9 |
| 39 | Cody Bellinger | LAD | 1B/OF | 40 | 1 |
| 40 | Mitch Haniger | SEA | OF | 41 | 1 |
| 41 | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | SS | 44 | 3 |
| 42 | Anthony Rizzo | CHC | 1B | 42 | 0 |
| 43 | Aaron Hicks | NYY | OF | 43 | 0 |
| 44 | Didi Gregorius | NYY | SS | 48 | 4 |
| 45 | AJ Pollock | ARI | OF | 46 | 1 |
| 46 | Brian Dozier | LAD | 2B | 45 | -1 |
| 47 | Rhys Hoskins | PHI | 1B/OF | 33 | -14 |
| 48 | Tim Anderson | CWS | SS | 49 | 1 |
| 49 | Ronald Acuna | ATL | OF | 56 | 7 |
| 50 | Jose Abreu | CWS | 1B | 59 | 9 |
| 51 | Ian Desmond | COL | 1B/OF | 50 | -1 |
| 52 | Matt Kemp | LAD | OF | 36 | -16 |
| 53 | Carlos Correa | HOU | SS | 52 | -1 |
| 54 | Travis Shaw | MIL | 3B | 54 | 0 |
| 55 | Mike Moustakas | KC | 3B | 53 | -2 |
| 56 | Anthony Rendon | WAS | 3B | 55 | -1 |
| 57 | Michael Brantley | CLE | OF | 57 | 0 |
| 58 | Whit Merrifield | KC | 2B | 65 | 7 |
| 59 | Joey Votto | CIN | 1B | 51 | -8 |
| 60 | Elvis Andrus | TEX | SS | 60 | 0 |
| 61 | Cesar Hernandez | PHI | 2B | 68 | 7 |
| 62 | Gleyber Torres | NYY | 2B/SS | 66 | 4 |
| 63 | David Peralta | ARI | OF | 89 | 26 |
| 64 | Odubel Herrera | PHI | OF | 58 | -6 |
| 65 | Wil Myers | SD | 1B/OF | 61 | -4 |
| 66 | Eduardo Escobar | ARZ | 3B/SS | 80 | 14 |
| 67 | Nicholas Castellanos | DET | 3B/OF | 64 | -3 |
| 68 | Asdrubal Cabrera | PHI | 2B/SS/3B | 79 | 11 |
| 69 | Rougned Odor | TEX | 2B | 86 | 17 |
| 70 | Chris Taylor | LAD | 2B/OF/SS | 82 | 12 |
| 71 | Gregory Polanco | PIT | OF | 84 | 13 |
| 72 | Brandon Belt | SF | OF | 62 | -10 |
| 73 | Nomar Mazara | TEX | OF | 63 | -10 |
| 74 | Dee Gordon | SEA | 2B/OF | 71 | -3 |
| 75 | Daniel Murphy | WAS | 2B | 70 | -5 |
| 76 | Andrelton Simmons | LAA | SS | 91 | 15 |
| 77 | Ender Inciarte | ATL | OF | 81 | 4 |
| 78 | D.J. LeMahieu | COL | 2B | 83 | 5 |
| 79 | Adam Eaton | WAS | OF | 76 | -3 |
| 80 | Andrew McCutchen | SF | OF | 85 | 5 |
| 81 | Maikel Franco | PHI | 3B | 96 | 15 |
| 82 | Joey Gallo | TEX | 3B/1B | 88 | 6 |
| 83 | Jurickson Profar | TEX | SS/3B/OF | 98 | 15 |
| 84 | Matt Chapman | OAK | 3B | 99 | 15 |
| 85 | Brian Anderson | MIA | 3B/OF | 94 | 9 |
| 86 | Kole Calhoun | LAA | OF | NR | N/A |
| 87 | Kyle Schwarber | CHC | OF | 73 | -14 |
| 88 | Mallex Smith | TBR | OF | NR | N/A |
| 89 | Yonder Alonso | CLE | 1B | 100 | 11 |
| 90 | Jose Peraza | CIN | 2B/SS | NR | N/A |
| 91 | Matt Olson | OAK | 1B | 74 | -17 |
| 92 | Carlos Santana | PHI | 1B | 77 | -15 |
| 93 | Adrian Beltre | TEX | 3B | 90 | -3 |
| 94 | JT Realmuto | MIA | C | 72 | -22 |
| 95 | Yasmani Grandal | LAD | C | 97 | 2 |
| 96 | Brett Gardner | NYY | OF | 92 | -4 |
| 97 | Yoan Moncada | CWS | 2B | 69 | -28 |
| 98 | Brandon Nimmo | NYM | OF | 75 | -23 |
| 99 | Adam Jones | BAL | OF | NR | N/A |
| 100 | Mark Trumbo | BAL | OF | NR | N/A |
